$1 million discrepancy revealed in SC school district audit. Now SLED is investigating

State agents have launched an investigation into a $1.1 million bookkeeping discrepancy in a South Carolina school district’s finances that surfaced during a financial review last year.

The investigation began in November, when Spartanburg School District One Superintendent Ron Garner contacted the State Law Enforcement Division after a review of the district’s finances revealed that more than $1 million in payments were made to an out of state financial institution but not properly documented, Garner said during a Thursday news conference.

The three payments each totaled about $355,000 and were made in 2013, 2014 and 2015 to Tetra Financial Group in Salt Lake City, Garner said. They were associated with a 2008 lease purchase agreement.

“That’s the discrepancy that we’re talking about,” Garner said. “We’re not talking about missing funds or missing money. We’re talking about a discrepancy in the books.”